The Taste of Chicago

The city of Chicago website states that the Taste of Chicago is the nation’s premier outdoor food festival showcasing the diversity of Chicago’s dining community. Every summer since 1980, Chicago’s beautiful Grant Park on the city’s magnificent lakefront has been home to the world’s largest food festival.

Instead of dancing with yourself, join 97.9 WLUP for the Billy Idol concert on Saturday, July 9 at the Taste of Chicago! Here’s the info.

Jen heads to the Taste

Enjoy live podcast recording all weekend at the “Food For Thought” tent. Chicago celebrities including Kevin Matthews and Hot Doug Sohn are just a couple of local talent with podcasts featured at this stage. For more information, click here!

Steve Dahl Book Signing

Date: Friday, July 8
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. with an after party down the street until ???
Location: Co-Prosperity, Bridgeport

Join Steve Dahl and WLS for the signing of his book, Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died, with Dave Hoekstra. Books WILL be available for purchase at the event. An exhibition of documentary photographs by Paul Natkin from the infamous evening also on display!

To capture the gestalt of the occasion, a soundtrack of disco and rock music from the period will be compiled by DJs Joe Bryl and Logan Bay.

Irish American Heritage Festival

From the website: Celebrate all things Irish at the 31st annual Irish American Heritage Festival.

Irish Fest is July 8, 9 and 10 and showcases the finest in local and international Irish and American music, dance and family activities. The festival is an indoor and outdoor fest; rain or shine, held on the grounds of the Center at 4626 North Knox Avenue, Chicago, and is one of its largest fundraisers.

Sunrise SUP YOGA

From the website: Practice under the rising sun for a magical SUP Yoga practice located at Montrose beach. Paddleboarding experience is required for this event – we will be on the water as the sun is rising overhead.

Includes all SUP equipment and SUP Yoga class.

This is a one day only event, only 6 spaces are available so register now to guarantee your space.

Meet at Kayak Chicago beach hut at least 15-20 minutes before. Registration is required for this event. Plenty of free on-site street parking available! Please arrive no later then 6:00am to participate.

Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects

Several street closures are in place for the Taste of Chicago until 4 p.m. Monday. Columbus is closed from Monroe to Balbo, and from Balbo to Roosevelt, according to the OEMC. Balbo remains open to traffic. Drivers are advised to take Lake Shore Drive on the east and State Street on the west to get around the Columbus closure.

Jackson is also closed from Michigan to Lake Shore Drive, and Congress is shut down from Columbus to Congress Parkway.

CTA and Public Transit Weekend Alerts

RED, ORANGE, GREEN, BROWN, BLUE LINESWednesday, July 6 – Sunday, July 10Increased Capacity and More Frequent Service for Taste of Chicago
Red LineWed to Fri, daily: Longer trains will operate between 95th/Dan Ryan and Howard until 12am next day. Trains from 95th/Dan Ryan will operate every 6 minutes from 6pm to 10pm.

Sat and Sun: Trains from 95th/Dan Ryan will operate every 6 minutes from 6:30pm to 10pm.

Orange Line Wed to Fri, daily: Longer trains will operate between Midway and the Loop, 10am to 11pm.Sat and Sun, daily: Longer trains will operate between Midway and the Loop, 9am to 12am next day.

Green LineWed to Fri, daily:Longer trains will operate between Harlem/Lake and Ashland-Cottage Grove/63rd, 9:30am to 2:30pm.

Brown LineWed to Fri, daily: Longer trains will operate between Kimball and the Loop, 10am to 11pm.Sat and Sun: Longer trains will operate between Kimball and the Loop, 9am to 12am next day.

Blue Line Wed to Fri, daily: Longer trains will operate between Forest Park and O’Hare until 12 am next day.Sat and Sun, daily: Longer trains will operate between Forest Park and O’Hare, 9am to 12am next day.

Why is service being changed?
Added service is being provided for the convenience of customers attending the 2016 Taste of Chicago.

BLUE LINE

Tuesday, July 5 at 9:00 p.m. to Tuesday, July 26 or completion

Forest Park-bound Trains Bypass Irving Park Station

How does this affect my trip?Forest Park-bound trains will not stop at Irving Park station.

For service from Irving Park station, take an O’Hare-bound train to Montrose and transfer to a Forest Park-bound train.

For service to Irving Park station, take a Forest Park-bound train to Addison and transfer to an O’Hare-bound train.

Consider using the adjacent Blue Line stations at Montrose and Addison, where trains in both directions will continue to stop.

The #78 Montrose bus connects with the Montrose Blue Line station and the #152 Addison bus connects with the Addison Blue Line station.

The #78, #152 and #80 Irving Park buses also connect with the Red and Brown lines farther east, the #82 Kimball/Homan bus connects with the Belmont Blue Line station, and the #56 Milwaukee bus connects with the Blue Line at Jefferson Park or Logan Square, and continues southeast into downtown. The Metra Union Pacific Northwest Line service to downtown is also available at Irving Park station, located a short walk west of the CTA Irving Park station.

(JOLIET) Four suspected drug dealers were arrested and large quantities of cash, drugs and vehicles were seized in a heroin trafficking sting Tuesday in southwest suburban Joliet.

The arrests were the culmination of a five-month long joint investigation — dubbed “Operation Success” — between Joliet police, the Joliet Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a statement from Joliet police.

Maceo Johnson, 35, of the 700 block of Oneida Street; Gerry A. Shannon, 36, of the 200 block of North Center Street; and Justin R. Rainey, 33, of the 1000 block of Ronald Drive, were each charged with calculated criminal conspiracy and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, police said.

Johnson, also known as “Success,” was arrested in Chicago by ATF agents and had $938 in cash and several Ecstasy and Xanax pills on him at the time, police said. He is being held on a $6 million bond.

Shannon, also known as “Leon,” was arrested in Joliet and was in possession of $1,150 in cash and about 26.25 grams of heroin, police said. His bond was set at $3 million.

Rainey, also known as “Jay,” was arrested by Joliet police while being released from the Will County Adult Detention Facility on an unrelated charge, police said. He is being held on a $3 million bond.

After the three men were arrested, authorities executed several search warrants in Joliet as a second phase to the investigation, according to police. They seized 288.5 grams of heroin, $355 in cash and a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro in the 700 block of Oneida.

In the 200 block of Center, investigators seized $8,385 in cash and “small quantities” of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, police said. Nathaniel Shannon, 33, was arrested inside the home and charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

A third search warrant was executed in the 3900 block of Mohican Court, police said. Investigators seized a 2015 Cadillac Escalade, a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe and a 2015 GMC Terrain.

The third phase of the investigation involved a sting targeting drug purchasers at a motel in the 1700 block of McDonough Street, police said. A total of 12 suspected buyers were identified, with charges against them pending, and 10 vehicles were towed pending seizure review.

“We will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners, both local and federal, to target the drug dealers who are contributing to the heroin epidemic that is plaguing our community,” Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said in the statement.